Artists and musicians from San Diego reflect a diverse and colorful heritage, with Downtown probably the best evidence of the city’s diversity. Home to the American blues artist, Jim Croce, San Diego lives up to its reputation as a bastion for striving musicians - with the Gaslamp Quarter and its up-and-coming blues and jazz performers (see
Nightlife). Little Italy is also known these days for its artistic contributions and rich cultural heritage. San Diego County’s Chicano (Mexican-American) population has had a strong and valuable influence on San Diego’s art community,
mainly in festivals, such as the annual
Latino Film Festival, the
Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May) and the
Festival of the Bells at Mission San Diego de Alcala.
Tickets for cultural performance and events are available for purchase from
Ticketmaster (tel: (619) 220 8497; website:
www.ticketmaster.com).
Cultural listings are available online at San Diego’s premier performance and events website (
www.sandiegoartandsol.com).
San Diego Magazine (website:
www.sandiego-online.com) is another well-regarded source of information.
Music: The
San Diego Symphony, 1245 Seventh Avenue (tel: (619) 235 0800; website:
www.sandiegosymphony.com) is known as much for its versatility as for its excellence. Its concerts range from classical symphony pieces to indigenous cultural music and summertime pop concerts at the seaside. Its indoor events are generally held in the historic
Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B Street (tel: (619) 235 0804). There is also the
Annual Mainly Mozart Festival in June, featuring music by Baroque, classical and Romantic composers (including Mozart), at selected venues in San Diego and Baja California (tel: (619) 239 0100; website:
www.mainlymozart.net).
Theater: The Lamb’s Players Theater, 1142 Orange Avenue, Coronado (tel: (619) 437 0600; website:
www.lambsplayers.org) is one of San Diego’s oldest venues for professional theater. Its European-style seating and intimate character lends to its success as a popular contemporary theater. The Tony award-winning
Old Globe Theater, located in Balboa Park, north of the
Museum of Man (tel: (619) 234 5623; website:
www.oldglobe.org) has three stages. Summer productions usually include Shakespeare. The
Starlight Theater company (tel: (619) 544 7827; website:
www.starlighttheater.org) is one of San Diego’s oldest and most respected musical theater companies, showing Broadway-quality musicals under the stars at the
Starlight Bowl, by Presidents Way and Park Boulevard in Balboa Park. The
Spreckels Theater, 121 Broadway (tel: (619) 235 9500) is a magnificent theater-palace building from 1912 with nearly 1500 seats and a program ranging from classical theater pieces to musicals and opera to rock and rap. The
San Diego Civic Theater, Third Avenue and B Street (tel: (619) 570 1100; website:
www.sandiegotheaters.org) is a premier venue for theater, ballet and opera.
Dance: The
California Ballet, 4819 Ronson Court (tel: (858) 560 6741; website:
www.californiaballet.org) has seasonal performances of contemporary and classic ballets, performed at a variety of venues, including the
Civic Theater (see above) and the
David and Dorothea Garfield Theater, Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, La Jolla (tel: (858) 362 1348).
Film: Most San Diego malls have cinemas. The
Horton Plaza shopping mall in the Downtown area has a United Artists theater, 475 Horton Plaza (tel: (619) 234 8602), that shows first-run movies. The
Mission Valley Center, Mission Valley, 1640 Camino del Rio North, has a 20-plex AMC theater (tel: (858) 558 2262), which is the largest of its kind in the western United States. Arthouse films are shown at
Ken Cinema, 4061 Adams Avenue (tel: (619) 819 0236), which has been called the Mecca for independent and foreign films in San Diego. Another well-respected arthouse cinema showing quality films from around the world is the
Hillcrest Cinema, 3965 Fifth Avenue (tel: (619) 819 0236).
The
San Diego Latino Film Festival (website:
www.sdlatinofilm.com) takes place every March with screenings at
Mann Theaters Hazard Center. Showings include productions from the United States as well as Latin America. Most films are in Spanish with English subtitles.
The most famous San Diego film is
Top Gun (1986), which starred Tom Cruise.
The Kid from Left Field (1979), starring Gary Coleman and Robert Guillaume, was a San Diego favorite, about a small boy who guides the San Diego Padres baseball team to the World Series. James Cameron’s epic movie
Titanic (1997) was filmed less than an hour from San Diego, near the Mexican resort town of Rosarito. The studio now includes a
Titanic Museum of sets, props and relics from the film.
Literary Notes: Home to L Frank Baum, author of
The Wizard of Oz (1900), and Dr Seuss, San Diego has enjoyed a thriving literary community for many years. Authors who currently call San Diego their home include world-famous novelist Harold Jaffe, writer Lonnie Burstein Hewitt and poet Terry Hertzler. Jaffe’s work has been translated into German, Spanish, French, Czech and Japanese and has been anthologised in a number of leading American books, including the Pushcart Prize and Best American Stories. Lonnie Burstein Hewitt has co-authored plays and musical productions for Broadway and the children’s TV production
Sesame Street. She is known locally for her non-fiction guide of San Diego,
Walking San Diego (1989), which she co-wrote with Barbara Coffin Moore. Terry Hertzler is a long-time resident of San Diego and the founder of a locally known publishing house, Caernarvon Press, as well as several San Diego literary organizations. His poetry has been widely published in the United States.
The much-loved Dr Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), author of
The Cat in a Hat (1957) and
Green Eggs and Ham (1960), resided in San Diego. His book
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1957) was turned into a film starring Jim Carey in 2000. Dr Seuss was born in Massachusetts in 1904 but called San Diego his home for most of his adult life. His residence at 7301 Encelia Drive, Mount Soledad, included a tower with a spectacular 360-degree view of the countryside. Following his death in 1991, his widow had the main residence renovated, although Dr Seuss’s ’tower’ still remains.
L Frank Baum’s most famous residence, ’The Ozcot’, may have been in Hollywood, California, but he was a regular visitor to the shores of Coronado Island. Baum and his wife spent many months at the famous Del Coronado Hotel, which is considered to have been his inspiration for the architecture of the Emerald City in the
Wizard of Oz. He is also credited with designing the chandeliers in the historic hotel. Born in New York, in 1856, Baum was a prolific poet, novelist and playwright. The house at 1101 Star Park Circle, on Coronado Island, is the only remaining house owned by the author.
The
San Diego Writers Cooperative (website:
www.sandiegowriters.org) sponsors readings and classes for local writers. Many bookshops host readings from local authors, including
D G Wills Books, 7461 Girard Avenue, La Jolla. Literary talks and readings also take place at
Rendezvous Caffe, 4644 College Avenue, and
Claire de Lune, 2906 University Avenue.
Sport:There are many San Diegans who will maintain that the major reason forone to live in Southern California is the accessibility to outdoor recreation. Just about every warm weather sport can be found here, from sailing to soccer, golf to rollerblading. In fact, San Diego’s well-paved beach walks and scenic parkways offer an irresistible opportunity for many cyclists and roller skaters.
San Diego’s name is well known in American football and the
San Diego Chargers (tel: (858) 874 4500; website:
www.chargers.com) play at the
Qualcomm Stadium, 9449 Friars Road (tel: (619) 641 3131). Nevertheless, the Chargers are not the best team in the NFL, trailing at the bottom end of the AFC West standings in both 2000 and 2001.
Depending on the seating and vendor, Chargers tickets can cost between US$30 and US$2,000. Other city teams are the baseball team,
San Diego Padres (website:
www.padres.com), the ice hockey team,
San Diego Gulls (website:
www.sandiegoarena.com/gulls/gulls.htm), and the women’s soccer team,
San Diego Spirit (website:
www.sandiegospirit.com).
Tickets for all major sporting events are available for purchase from
Ticketmaster (tel: (619) 220 8497; website:
www.ticketmaster.com).
Boating: San Diego is considered one of the best places for day sailing on America’s west coast, because of mild spring and summer winds and good currents. The proximity to Mexican destinations lures sailors southwards but visitors should refrain from this temptation until they have gained some familiarity with the area, currents and weather changes. Autumn and winter winds and rains can rise suddenly and have even been known to catch local boaters off guard. Pacific Beach, Mission Bay, Shelter Island and Coronado Island are four of the better locations to find quality boat rentals.
Seaforth Boat Rental, 1641 Quivera Road (tel: (619) 223 1681; website:
www.seaforthboatrental.com), has over 150 boats for hire, from sailing vessels to speedboats.
Fitness centers: Frogs Club One (website:
www.frogsclubone.com), known affectionately as ‘Frogs’, has centers at Mission Valley, 901 Hotel Circle South (tel: (619) 291 3500) and La Jolla, 7825 Fay Avenue, Suite 160 (tel: (858) 456 2595). This is a full-service fitness center that is designed to pamper. Facilities include the standard workout amenities, including free weights and fixed gym equipment, as well as a beauty salon, massage service, a boutique and café. Best of all for visitors to San Diego, Frogs in Mission Valley is available either for free or for a nominal fee (generally US$10 per day) to many hotel guests in the Hotel Circle area. The facilities are open Monday-Thursday 0500-2230, Friday 0500-21000 and Saturday 0700-2000.
San Diego Fitness and Racquet Center, 3666 Midway Drive (tel: (619) 223 5581; website:
www.sandiegofitness.com), boasts a complete exercise facility, with carido program, circuit training, a spa and massage service. Like Frogs, the center also has special arrangements with local hotels and is either free of charge or available for US$10 per day to hotel guests. Opening hours are weekdays 0600-2000 and weekends 0800-1800.
Curves for Women has centers in the Hillcrest area, 1220 Cleveland Avenue (tel: (619) 295 1251) and Point Loma area, 3960 West Point Loma Boulevard (tel: (619) 222 8555), and is a fitness center specially designed from women on the go. It advertises ‘30-minute fitness and weight loss centers’ using its ‘Quick Fit’ exercise program of 30-second rotational exercise patterns. Curves for Women does not have a daily rate and enrollment fees are generally US$59 to sign up and a further US$29 per month. Once a member, gyms are available free of charge, countrywide. Opening hours are different for each center – normally open weekdays 0700-1330 and 1630-1930).
Golf: Mission Bay Golf Resort, 2702 North Mission Bay Drive (tel: (858) 490 3370; fax: (858) 490 3377), which is less than a half an hour from Downtown, has an 18-hole, night-lit course with a driving range, bar and restaurant facilities. Golf lessons are also available. Green fees vary according to the number of holes played and time of the week, ranging from US$18 to US$22.
Mt Woodson Golf Club, 16422 North Woodson Drive, Ramona (tel: (760) 788 3555; website:
www.mtwoodson.com), with breathtaking mountain vistas, has been billed by
Golf Digest as a must-play and is located about half an hour north of Downtown, via I-5 and I-8. Green fees range from US$30 on weekdays to US$56 on weekends.
Riverwalk Golf Club, 1150 Fashion Valley Road (tel: (619) 296 4653; website:
www.americangolf.com), on the edge of Hotel Circle and just minutes from Downtown, is a 27-hole championship course that hosts tournaments. Fees for this course run from US$80 on weekdays to US$100 on weekends and holidays.
Vineyard Golf Course, 925 San Pasqual Road, Escondido (tel: (760) 735 9545), is an 18-hole golf course amid California’s wine country. Green fees are US$55 on weekdays and upwards of US$65 on weekends and holidays. All the above golf clubs and courses are open to the public.
Scuba diving: There are a number of diving shops and charters that cater to the diving aficionado, with daily or weekly diving trips to Mexico and surrounding diving spots.
Dive Connections, 1500 Quivera Way (tel: (619) 523 9282
or (800) 420 3047; website:
www.gottadive.com), offers diving and snorkel trips, equipment hire, private and daily group excursions.
Blue Escape Dive & Charter, Inc, 1617 Quivera Road (tel: (619) 223 3483
or (888) 500 3483; website:
www.blueescape.com), provides diving tours, lessons and hire of scuba, snorkeling and kayak equipment.
Surfing: San Diego may not have the biggest waves in the Western Hemisphere but its reputation as a surfing Mecca certainly precedes itself. Images of bronze surfers and bikini-clad sunbathers are a well-earned part of the Westcoast image. Locations such as Pacific Beach, Imperial Beach and Coronado Island are favorite locations for testing out the waves – as well as for taking in the rays. Some beach areas are posted with warning signs, because of undercurrents, and newcomers would be wise to respect the advisories. Not all beaches have lifeguards and drownings do occur in posted areas. To learn more about the current, weather and best places to surf, visitors should consult the online
Surfline (website:
www.surfline.com) and click on ‘SoCal’ for Southern California’s conditions.
Novice surfers can also find classes at local surf shops, such the
San Diego Surfing Academy (tel: (800) 447 7873; website:
www.surfsdsa.com). The company also hires out equipment and organizes charter trips to Mexico.
Tennis: Balboa Tennis Club, 2221 Morely Field Drive (tel: (619) 295 4242; e-mail:
tennis@balboatennis.com; website:
www.balboatennis.com), a 25-court facility, is located at Balboa Park. Day passes are available for non-members.
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